Skirts and kidneys
Encyclopedia
Skirts and Kidneys is an Irish
stew
made from pork
and pork kidney
s.
, on the southern coast of Ireland
, has a long-standing association with animal produce and, from the 17th C to the end of the 19th C, was a major supplier of butter and salted (preserved) beef and pork to the British Empire
and specifically the armed forces. The beef and pork industry meant a plentiful supply of offal
. Offcuts were available at affordable prices for local consumption by the poor and underprivileged. An entire Cork cuisine developed based on offal - particularly pig offal. Examples include crubeens (pigs' trotter
s); pigs' tails; drisheen - a boiled blood sausage
traditionally served with tripe
; bodice - plain or salted pig ribs, cooked as a simple white stew, or as a salted bacon dish cooked with cabbage
and turnip
. In Cork, the word offal came to mean one specific dish - pig's backbone. Now sadly illegal to use because of BSE
, it was cooked either salted or as a white stew.
Skirts and Kidneys is probably the best of these dishes. The meat ingredients can be bought generally in any pork butcher
's shop. Skirts are the trimmings from the inside of the ribs and backbone. While the meat is thin, it is quite tender as it formed part of little-used muscle in the animal. It is encased in a tough white membrane which needs to be stripped off before cooking. Kidneys need to be carefully washed in copious amounts of fresh water to ensure that all traces of their original function are washed away.
The dish is a basic white stew made with minimum ingredients: skirts, kidneys, onions, thyme
, salt, white pepper, water, and potatoes. All the ingredients are placed in a large saucepan of boiling water and slowly simmered for about two hours. At the end of cooking, if necessary, a little cornflour
(cornstarch) mixed with a little water can be stirred in as thickening.
Alternative recipes more popular in Waterford involve dicing the onion quite small and excluding the thyme and salt; Instead opting for generous amounts of white pepper.
The meal is best served with crusty white bread to soak up the juices.
Method:
Chop the kidneys in quarter-inch slices. (Optionally, remove the white central core from each slice).
Place the sliced kidney in a colander and rinse thoroughly under clean running water.
Meanwhile trim the pork skirts, removing the white membrane as thoroughly as possible.
Slice the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Halve the onions and slice into half rings.
Pluck to thyme from the branches (or open the container if using dried thyme!!)
Put the kidneys, skirts, onions and thyme, salt and pepper in a large pan.
Cover with boiling water (about 2 pints / 1 Litre).
Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Then cover and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.
Wash and peel the potatoes while the dish is simmering.
After the hour, add the potatoes to the stew and cook for a further 45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
Check the juice for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. (This dish does require quite a lot of salt).
The potatoes should have thickened the stew sufficiently. If not, use a teaspoon of cornflour blended with a couple of teaspoons of cold water and stir it into the stew and boil gently until thickened.
Serve each portion in a deep dish like a pasta dish or large soup dish.
Serve with crusty bread.
Alternative recipes more popular in Waterford involve dicing the onion quite small and excluding the thyme and salt; Instead opting for generous amounts of white peppe
Irish cuisine
Irish cuisine is a style of cooking originating from Ireland or developed by Irish people. It evolved from centuries of social and political change. The cuisine takes its influence from the crops grown and animals farmed in its temperate climate. The introduction of the potato in the second half of...
stew
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
made from pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
and pork kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
s.
History
CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, on the southern coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, has a long-standing association with animal produce and, from the 17th C to the end of the 19th C, was a major supplier of butter and salted (preserved) beef and pork to the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and specifically the armed forces. The beef and pork industry meant a plentiful supply of offal
Offal
Offal , also called, especially in the United States, variety meats or organ meats, refers to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but includes most internal organs other than...
. Offcuts were available at affordable prices for local consumption by the poor and underprivileged. An entire Cork cuisine developed based on offal - particularly pig offal. Examples include crubeens (pigs' trotter
Trotter
Trotter may refer to:* Del Boy, Rodney and Grandad - Fictional Trotter Family from BBC sictom Only Fools and Horses* Clan Trotter, a lowland Scottish family* Trotter, a horse trained for harness racing* Italian Trotter, a breed of horse...
s); pigs' tails; drisheen - a boiled blood sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
traditionally served with tripe
Tripe
Tripe is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals.-Beef tripe:...
; bodice - plain or salted pig ribs, cooked as a simple white stew, or as a salted bacon dish cooked with cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
and turnip
Turnip
The turnip or white turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as feed for livestock...
. In Cork, the word offal came to mean one specific dish - pig's backbone. Now sadly illegal to use because of BSE
BSE
- Medicine :* Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a neurological disease commonly known as "mad cow disease"* Breast self-examination* Bone surface element- State Secondary Education Boards of India :*Board of Secondary Education, Assam...
, it was cooked either salted or as a white stew.
Skirts and Kidneys is probably the best of these dishes. The meat ingredients can be bought generally in any pork butcher
Butcher
A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...
's shop. Skirts are the trimmings from the inside of the ribs and backbone. While the meat is thin, it is quite tender as it formed part of little-used muscle in the animal. It is encased in a tough white membrane which needs to be stripped off before cooking. Kidneys need to be carefully washed in copious amounts of fresh water to ensure that all traces of their original function are washed away.
The dish is a basic white stew made with minimum ingredients: skirts, kidneys, onions, thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
, salt, white pepper, water, and potatoes. All the ingredients are placed in a large saucepan of boiling water and slowly simmered for about two hours. At the end of cooking, if necessary, a little cornflour
Cornflour
Cornflour may be:* Cornmeal, flour ground from dried corn* Cornstarch , the white, powdered starch of the maize grain* Masa, the flour of hominy* Wheat starch, in Australia...
(cornstarch) mixed with a little water can be stirred in as thickening.
Alternative recipes more popular in Waterford involve dicing the onion quite small and excluding the thyme and salt; Instead opting for generous amounts of white pepper.
The meal is best served with crusty white bread to soak up the juices.
Recipe
(Serves 3-4):- 1 kg of pork skirts.
- 1 or 2 pork kidneys.
- 2 large white onions.
- 1 tablespoon of thyme (fresh or dried).
- 2 teaspoons of salt.
- Half a teaspoon of white ground pepper.
- 10 medium sized potatoes, peeled.
Method:
Chop the kidneys in quarter-inch slices. (Optionally, remove the white central core from each slice).
Place the sliced kidney in a colander and rinse thoroughly under clean running water.
Meanwhile trim the pork skirts, removing the white membrane as thoroughly as possible.
Slice the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Halve the onions and slice into half rings.
Pluck to thyme from the branches (or open the container if using dried thyme!!)
Put the kidneys, skirts, onions and thyme, salt and pepper in a large pan.
Cover with boiling water (about 2 pints / 1 Litre).
Bring to the boil and skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Then cover and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour.
Wash and peel the potatoes while the dish is simmering.
After the hour, add the potatoes to the stew and cook for a further 45 minutes until the potatoes are cooked.
Check the juice for seasoning. Add more salt if necessary. (This dish does require quite a lot of salt).
The potatoes should have thickened the stew sufficiently. If not, use a teaspoon of cornflour blended with a couple of teaspoons of cold water and stir it into the stew and boil gently until thickened.
Serve each portion in a deep dish like a pasta dish or large soup dish.
Serve with crusty bread.
Alternative recipes more popular in Waterford involve dicing the onion quite small and excluding the thyme and salt; Instead opting for generous amounts of white peppe